Red Sea Tanker Attacks

UK Maritime Trade Operations Warning 136-26 said a skiff pursued and attempted to intercept a westbound tanker approximately 75 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen, on 17 September. UKMTO reported no casualties, boarding, weapon use or vessel damage, and said the incident was under investigation by relevant authorities; vessels were advised to transit with caution. This record is kept distinct from confirmed strikes: it documents an attempted approach only, with no impact or boarding established in the reviewed reporting. The warning did not name the vessel, its flag, operator or cargo.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed on 16 September that Ansar Allah forces struck an Aramco oil facility at Yanbu on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, along with the Khamis Mushait military airbase, using a combination of missiles and drones. Saree asserted the Yanbu strike caused 'fires and widespread destruction' and said the attacks were retaliation for Saudi-backed strikes inside Yemen. The claim was carried by multiple outlets (L'Orient Today, Türkiye Today, Pakistan Today, Seoul Economic Daily), each explicitly noting the absence of Saudi confirmation; no independent imagery, official acknowledgment or casualty figures were available in the reviewed reporting. This is a distinct claimed episode from the confirmed 8 September Jazan and Najran Aramco fires recorded separately on this site, and from the 25 July claimed missile interception at Yanbu recorded under the same facility marker.

Associated Press reported that Houthi forces captured Mayun, also called Perim, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea after taking Mokha and advancing through the Dhubab area. A senior military official with Yemen's internationally recognised government and a Houthi official separately confirmed the Mayun control change to AP. AP also published a Pléiades Neo commercial satellite image taken on 11 September showing the island after the reported seizure; the image documents the location but does not independently identify which force controls it. Reuters-based follow-up reporting initially said Houthi forces had reached the Hanish Islands. On 14 September, AP reported that Houthi forces had taken Greater and Lesser Hanish after hundreds of government-allied troops withdrew, citing two government officials and one Houthi official. That supports a reported control change on the two named islands, not confirmed control of every island in the archipelago or a physical closure of Bab el-Mandeb. Claims that the movement liberated Murad, all surrounding territory or more than 4,000 square kilometres in less than 24 hours were not independently established and are not adopted here. A Houthi political-bureau member told AP that non-Saudi shipping would not be threatened while warning of additional targets if Saudi strikes continued; this is an attributed assurance, not a guarantee of safe passage. No commercial vessel, port installation or energy facility was reported struck during the territorial advance. This remains a grouped maritime-control record rather than a completed attack on shipping; its marker is anchored at Mayun and does not represent the extent of territorial control.

Associated Press reported that Houthi forces seized the city of Mokha and its Red Sea port on 10 September after a rapid ground offensive displaced forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government. The takeover was confirmed to AP by both a commander aligned with Yemen's government and a member of the Houthis' political bureau. Residents told AP that Houthi forces were visible throughout the city and that markets were shuttered, while doctors and other residents fled south. Yemeni government forces subsequently launched airstrikes against Houthi reinforcements west of Taiz, according to residents cited by AP. On 11 September, the internationally recognised government's army announced that it was bombing a designated 'kill box' near Mokha as part of a counteroffensive; the reviewed announcement did not establish impact locations, casualties or damage. Houthi-run Al-Masirah separately claimed 40 airstrikes across Taiz, Jawf, Hodeida and Marib, but AP could not independently verify that figure. The broadcaster also reported that Saudi Arabia struck Mokha's airport; AP said there were no immediate reports of damage or deaths, and Saudi Arabia had not commented. Mokha is roughly 80 kilometres from the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which about 12 percent of global trade normally passes. Axios later reported, citing two U.S. officials, that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked President Donald Trump for direct U.S. strikes against the Houthis as their advance threatened the Red Sea route; Trump reportedly declined while the United States offered intelligence and targeting support. That diplomatic report is context, not evidence of a new U.S. attack. The reviewed reporting did not establish that the port's energy infrastructure was struck, quantify damage, report a closure or confirm an interruption to commercial shipping. This is therefore recorded as a developing control and maritime-security change, with the counterstrikes and airport strike carefully retained as attributed follow-up reports.

Fighting intensified between Houthi forces and Yemen's internationally recognised government forces around Jabal Nu'man in Taiz Governorate from 3 September. Associated Press reporting, based on Yemeni health and military officials, initially confirmed casualties on both sides without totals. Le Monde subsequently reported that nearly 180 fighters had been killed in the wider fighting since Thursday, making it Yemen's deadliest combat in years; the allocation by side and complete toll remained unsettled. On 5 September, AP reported that Yemen's military said it had conducted more than 15 follow-on airstrikes against Houthi positions in Hodeida and Taiz provinces on Friday; Houthi authorities separately alleged that government attacks killed three people. The high ground around Jabal Nu'man overlooks the main government supply route between Taiz and the port of Mokha and forms part of the eastern approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb strait. No reviewed report established that a commercial vessel, port, oil facility or other energy installation was attacked in this episode. It is included for its direct maritime-security relevance and uses an approximate regional marker rather than a strike coordinate.

INGO Advisory reported, citing Combined Task Force 153 and UKMTO, that coalition assets detected an uncrewed surface vessel on a threatening trajectory in the southern Red Sea approaches and neutralised it. The public report did not identify the detecting or engaging unit, publish coordinates, name an intended target, attribute the vessel to an actor, describe its payload or say how it was neutralised. No commercial vessel, port or energy installation was reported hit, and no casualties or pollution were reported. This is therefore recorded as an attributed maritime attack threat rather than a completed strike. The marker represents the southern Red Sea corridor, not an engagement position.

Yemen's government-aligned armed forces said naval and coastal-defence units intercepted four explosive-laden Houthi boats attempting to approach the government-held Hanish and Zuqar islands. The forces reported several engagements and heavy Houthi boat activity around the islands, which overlook international shipping routes. The Houthis had not commented in the reviewed reporting, and no independent source confirmed the boats' intended targets. No commercial vessel, tanker, port or energy facility was reported struck, and no casualties or pollution were reported. This event occurred on 1 September and therefore sat just outside the strict 72-hour window used in the subsequent review; it is recorded separately as an attributed maritime attack attempt, not as a completed ship strike. The marker represents the islands area and is not an engagement coordinate.

A tanker's company security officer reported that the vessel was struck by an unknown projectile approximately 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, causing a fire on the main deck. All crew were reported safe and accounted for, and no environmental impact was reported. UKMTO did not identify the vessel or assign responsibility. ISW-CTP subsequently assessed that the tanker was almost certainly the Saudi oil tanker AMZAN and recorded a Houthi claim that a ballistic missile struck it. ISW-CTP cautioned that the claimed weapon and exceptional range could not be independently established and that a drone remained possible. The vessel identification and Houthi attribution are therefore reported claims, while the projectile impact and deck fire are independently documented.

UK Maritime Trade Operations classified Warning 110-26 as an attack after receiving a report that a stationary cargo vessel in the southern Red Sea near al-Makha (Mocha) had been hit by an unknown projectile; it did not name the vessel. Yemeni and international reporting subsequently identified the ship as the Tihamah, a 63-metre, Tanzanian-flagged, Egyptian-owned multipurpose vessel built in 2024 and licensed to carry passengers and commercial goods between Aden, Djibouti, Somalia and Socotra; it was en route to Mokha port with 11 crew (Pakistani and Indonesian nationals) when it was hit. Yemen's Transport Ministry said Houthi forces fired three ballistic missiles at the ship in a first strike that caused a fire, significant damage and an initial reported toll of four dead. As government coastguard and armed-forces personnel evacuated the dead and wounded roughly three hours later, the Houthis fired an additional ballistic missile at the rescue site, killing at least two more people, including two Yemeni rescuers (one named by officials as Abkar Muhammad Mahmoud), for a combined toll of six killed and ten wounded (seven of them crew). Yemen's Transport Ministry and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar both said three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian national were among the dead; two Yemeni coastguard/rescue personnel were killed in the second strike. Yemen's coastguard separately said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi 'booby-trapped' drone boat that approached the Tihamah about three hours after the missile strikes. Al Jazeera reported this was the first shipping-related deaths linked to the Houthis since the US-Israel war on Iran began on 28 February 2026. The Houthi-run Saba agency claimed the target was a Saudi military-cargo vessel and did not name it; that claim is disputed by Yemen's government and is not independently verified. The International Maritime Organization's secretary-general condemned the attack. This is the same underlying event UKMTO first reported (previously recorded here as an unidentified vessel); this record has been updated with the vessel's identity and the confirmed double-tap sequence rather than duplicated. It is separate from the missile and drone attacks on al-Makha city and port on 9 August.

MSCIO Alert 90/26 initially reported that an unnamed Tanzania-flagged cargo vessel off Al Mokha was targeted by drones, leaving seven crew injured and four missing. Associated Press later identified the vessel as Tihama and reported, citing Yemeni authorities and survivor accounts, that three Houthi ballistic missiles struck it, killing six people and injuring at least nine. AP photo captions date the attack to 10 August, while MSCIO dates the incident to 11 August; both dates are retained rather than silently choosing one. The vessel's cargo and any pollution impact were not established in the reviewed reports.

Houthi forces attacked the government-held Red Sea port city of al-Makha twice within less than 24 hours using ballistic missiles and drones. Yemen's government-aligned armed forces said residential areas and port facilities were targeted and that air defences intercepted some drones. Yemen's Defence Ministry subsequently reported at least seven people killed — four troops and three civilians — and 30 injured; an earlier account had specified at least 15 civilian injuries. A Yemeni information-ministry official said the attacks severely damaged port buildings and piers as well as commercial goods and food supplies. The Houthis said they targeted weapons depots, military forces and Saudi troop concentrations. The record therefore distinguishes confirmed port damage and reported casualties from the opposing parties' disputed descriptions of the intended targets. Al-Makha is a principal port controlled by Yemen's internationally recognised government and has been renovated to handle shipping diverted from Houthi-held Hodeida.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Telegram that Yemeni forces targeted the Saudi oil tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile, which struck the vessel and forced it to turn around. Saree said the targeting was part of an effort to enforce the group's declared maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. There was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia, and no independent report of damage, casualties, or the vessel's subsequent status was available in the cited reporting.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Yemeni Armed Forces targeted the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa in the northern Red Sea off Yanbu with several ballistic missiles, describing the strike as precise. Saree said the attack was carried out under the group's declared maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and that the total number of Saudi oil tankers targeted since the blockade began on 22 July had reached eight, with 29 Saudi tankers separately prevented from crossing the Red and Arabian Seas. No independent confirmation of damage, casualties or the vessel's status was available in the cited reporting.

Yemen's Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles at the Saudi-flagged oil tanker NCC Ghazal in the Red Sea. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree accused the vessel of violating the group's declared maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and ignoring warning calls; the tanker was forced to turn back. The Houthis said they would continue enforcing the blockade as part of a strategy of "siege and escalation."

The Saudi Transport General Authority said NCC Masa was targeted while sailing in the Red Sea, causing minor hull damage. The crew and vessel were confirmed safe and the tanker continued to its destination.

An explosive drone boat struck the tanker’s port side and damaged a ballast tank. The crew was safe and the vessel continued under its own power.

The tanker lost propulsion after repeated attacks and was abandoned. The crew was rescued; later fires aboard created a major spill risk.

Two drones struck a military base in Jubayt, Red Sea State, on 30 July 2024 shortly after a graduation ceremony attended by Sudan's de facto leader and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in what was reported as an attempted assassination. Al-Burhan was unharmed, according to a SAF spokesperson, but two of his bodyguards and three military cadets were killed, with several others injured. The SAF blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), saying it had determined the drones' launch location without disclosing it publicly; the RSF denied responsibility and instead accused the Al-Bara' ibn Malik Battalion, an allied Islamist militia, framing the incident as internal SAF infighting. This record introduces a distinct, high-profile Sudan civil war incident to the site's airbase/airport-strike coverage, added following the extension of the backfill window to three years.

JMIC confirmed that an uncrewed surface vessel struck the tanker’s port side, causing minor damage. The crew was safe and the ship turned north to assess possible leakage.

A ballistic missile strike caused flooding and a temporary loss of propulsion and steering. The crew restored both and continued without reported casualties.

A missile ignited a major cargo-tank fire. The crew and responding naval vessels extinguished it; no casualties were reported and the ship remained seaworthy.

Armed drones struck two Saudi Aramco pumping stations on the East–West Pipeline (Petroline), which carries crude oil from eastern Saudi fields to the Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu, on 14 May 2019. Yemen's Houthi movement claimed responsibility via Saba-affiliated media, saying it had used seven drones to target 'key Saudi installations' in retaliation for the Saudi-led coalition's intervention in Yemen. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih confirmed the attack caused a fire and limited damage, and state media reported the pipeline was halted as a precaution while Aramco assessed the damage and worked to restore the link; officials said Saudi crude oil exports continued as normal through other routes during the halt. Saudi officials publicly blamed Iran-backed Houthi militias. The attack came amid a period of sharply rising Gulf tensions, days after the Fujairah tanker sabotage recorded separately in this dataset, and was widely read as part of a linked pattern of pressure on Gulf energy infrastructure. No casualties were reported. Precise repair timelines, total volumes affected and confirmed structural damage figures were not established in the reviewed reporting.

The Saudi Transport General Authority confirmed that Encelia was targeted while sailing in the Red Sea, causing a fire at the bow. All crew were safe and authorities secured the vessel and took steps to protect the marine environment.

UK Maritime Trade Operations Warning 132-26 said the company security officer of an unidentified cargo vessel reported that an unidentified skiff approached the ship approximately 98 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The initial warning did not report weapons, threatening communications, shots, boarding, damage, casualties or pollution. UKMTO advised vessels to transit with caution while authorities investigate. This record is classified as suspicious maritime activity, not an attack or confirmed piracy attempt, and no responsibility is assigned. The marker is an approximate position calculated from UKMTO's reported distance and direction rather than a published coordinate.

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker transiting westbound in the Gulf of Aden, about 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, broadcast a distress call on VHF channel 16 after being approached by an unauthorised vessel; six armed people subsequently boarded and took control of the ship, redirecting it toward Somalia. UKMTO confirmed the boarding and said authorities were investigating, but gave no further details on the crew's safety or the vessel's condition. Monitoring outlets identified the vessel as the tanker Seamull, also referred to as SIBU 1. Just Security, summarising New York Times reporting, described it as a suspected Iranian shadow-fleet tanker; that characterisation is not independently established in the UKMTO advisory and is retained as reported context rather than confirmed ownership or trading status. Al Jazeera reported the hijacking as part of a wider resurgence of Somali piracy in 2026, noting that at least five ships remained under pirate control at the time, with the most recent prior hijacking the preceding Monday, and linked the trend to naval forces being stretched thin by the concurrent Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz conflicts, pushing more shipping traffic closer to Somali waters. This is a distinct incident from the 17 July 2026 UKMTO 090-26 hijack recorded separately on this map, which involved a different tanker boarded roughly 65 nautical miles south (not east) of Al Mukalla.

The ICC International Maritime Bureau reported that five armed people in a skiff attempted to board a tanker. The master took evasive action and the approach was aborted. The public report does not identify the tanker or establish the attackers’ identities.

The ICC International Maritime Bureau reported that an approaching skiff fired an RPG at a vessel and missed. Armed security returned fire and the approach was aborted. The public map entry does not identify the vessel or the people in the skiff.

The ICC International Maritime Bureau reported that seven armed people fired on and attempted to board a container vessel. The master took evasive action and the attempt was aborted. The public report does not identify the vessel or establish the attackers’ identities.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the total number of Saudi oil tankers targeted since the group's maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia began on 22 July had reached eight, and that a separate total of 29 Saudi oil tankers had been prevented from proceeding and forced to turn back in the Red and Arabian Seas. The blockade itself was declared on 20 July. This tally is not independently verified and does not identify the vessels involved beyond those separately confirmed on this site (Encelia, Layla, NCC Ghazal and Wafaa). This is represented by one approximate regional marker because the Houthi statement did not publish vessel identities or locations for the wider tally.

A fire broke out in one of the cables at the Merowe Dam power station, Sudan's largest hydroelectric plant and the backbone of the national grid, severely damaging the main feeders of the Merowe-Al Murkhiyat and Merowe-Atbara transmission lines. The resulting outages spread across Khartoum, River Nile, Northern and Red Sea states. Sudan's Ministry of Energy said a technical assessment found extensive feeder damage and that repairs would take several days; Energy Minister Al-Mutasim Ibrahim Ahmed travelled to the site to oversee the response and ordered maximum output from alternative generating stations and grid reconfiguration to distribute available power. By 4 August the ministry said several thermal generation units had been restored to the grid. Sudan's electricity sector has faced repeated attacks and damage to plants, substations and transmission lines since the civil war began in April 2023, including earlier documented drone strikes on this same dam, but the cited reporting on this specific fire did not identify a cause.

The mechanised sailing vessel (MSV) Faize Noore Oliya capsized and sank after being attacked in the Red Sea off Yemen's western coast while reportedly en route to Oman carrying Saudi-origin oil, according to ship-tracking data cited by RT. Yemeni government forces said coast guard and naval units carried out a joint rescue operation, and all 14 crew — 13 Indian sailors and one Yemeni sailor — were recovered safely and taken to the port of Mokha for medical assistance, with no casualties reported. India's Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways said the vessel was hit by a projectile and confirmed the rescue, and directed the Directorate General Maritime Administration to coordinate with agencies on seafarer safety in the region. India's Ministry of External Affairs separately called the continued targeting of commercial shipping in the region "deeply worrisome" and said free navigation must be restored. UKMTO Warning 105-26, a time-late report from the vessel's company security officer, placed the attack about 9 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukha (Mokha) — a more precise, and more southerly, position than RT's general description of the ship-tracking data — at 07:30 UTC on 4 August, describing an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) attack that caused a fire onboard before the vessel was reported sunk and the crew rescued by local authorities; that account is treated here as the primary position source because UKMTO cited a direct company report. The Houthis had not commented on the attribution at the time of this entry.

UKMTO received a report of an incident approximately 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen. The Master of a tanker reported hearing a loud explosion in close proximity to the vessel; all crew were accounted for and safe, and no environmental impact was reported. Authorities were investigating at the time of the notice. The vessel identity, cargo, explosion source, and responsibility were not established in the notice.

UKMTO reported that the Master of a tanker heard an explosion while transiting the southern Red Sea. The report, relayed by the vessel's company security officer, confirmed the crew and vessel were safe and that no environmental damage had been reported. The notice located the event near Jizan; UKMTO's own location tag read 'Jizan, Yemen', though Jizan is a Saudi Arabian city near the Yemeni border, so the marker is approximate. The vessel identity, explosion source, and responsibility were not established.

UKMTO reported that a tanker witnessed an unknown projectile splash into the water close to the vessel in the southern Red Sea. The vessel and crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was confirmed. The warning was issued on 26 July for an event dated 24 July. The vessel identity, cargo, projectile source, responsibility, exact distance from the vessel, and precise position were not published. The marker is approximate.

UKMTO/JMIC reported that a tanker was boarded by unauthorised individuals during an eastbound transit of the Gulf of Aden, approximately 65 nautical miles south of Al Mukalla, Yemen, and was forced to alter course into Somali territorial waters. The advisory did not identify the vessel, vessel class, cargo, boarding party, casualties, or subsequent disposition. The marker is approximate.

The tanker’s Master reported that an unknown projectile struck the vessel and caused an onboard fire that the crew was fighting. UKMTO reported no casualties or environmental impact and said authorities were investigating. The vessel identity, cargo, projectile source, and responsibility were not established.

A tanker traveling east in the IRTC reported that six small boats approached from starboard 50 nautical miles south of Aden. One closed to five cables, prompting the tanker’s armed security team to fire warning shots; the other five remained about one nautical mile away. UKMTO classified the event as suspicious activity, not an attack. The vessel identity, tanker class, cargo, small-boat identities, and intent were not established.

UKMTO/JMIC reported that a cargo vessel triggered a distress alert approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, stating it was under attack by unknown armed assailants. The advisory did not identify the vessel, vessel class, cargo, attacker identity, casualties, damage, or subsequent disposition.

Yemen's Houthis said they targeted crude-oil supply and transport sites linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea export hub of Yanbu, including Petroline, the 1,200km pipeline carrying crude from the kingdom's eastern fields — marking the first time the group has targeted oil infrastructure in eastern Saudi Arabia since 2019. With Strait of Hormuz disruptions pushing Saudi Arabia to move up to 5 million barrels a day through this route (up from about 1 million previously), Saudi authorities said they reserve the right to respond but had not released the extent of any damage at the time reported.

A widely shared social-media account reported a large explosion beside a Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel in the Bab al-Mandab strait, said the ship came to a stop, and relayed initial claims of a missile fired from Yemen at about 21:21 local time. The account attributed this to unnamed Israeli media via an aggregator; no wire service, maritime-security firm or naval authority naming the vessel, the location or a missile had been identified when this entry was added. Separately, maritime-security firm Ambrey reported an explosion aboard a Cameroon-flagged tanker roughly 60 nautical miles south of Ahwar on Yemen's Gulf of Aden coast — several hundred kilometres east of Bab al-Mandab — with the cause unclear, a crew preparing to abandon ship, and the vessel not matching the Houthi target profile. Whether these are the same event is not established. The vessel name, flagged cause, damage and casualties all remain unverified, and the marker is an approximate strait reference rather than a fixed position.

The oil tankers Rodos and Xin Long Yang, carrying a combined 2.8 million barrels of Saudi crude from Yanbu to Asian buyers, reversed course in the Red Sea after initially sailing toward Bab al-Mandeb. Kpler shipping data cited by Al Jazeera documented the movements after Yemen’s Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports. No attack, damage, casualties, or pollution was reported; this marker records a conflict-related shipping disruption and route diversion, not a strike. The position is an approximate Red Sea reference because the vessels’ turnaround coordinates were not published.

Crude oil leaking from the Shuqair–Mostorod pipeline — which runs from the Red Sea port of Shuqair to the refinery complex at Mostorod in Greater Cairo — pooled on a busy desert highway toward the Suez Canal and was ignited by a spark from passing traffic, injuring 17 people and torching about two dozen vehicles. Egypt's petroleum ministry said valves were closed and the fire brought under control. This was an accidental pipeline failure, not an attack.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that missiles and drones targeted the Saudi oil tanker Layla and caused a fire. Unlike the separately confirmed Encelia incident, the reviewed reporting did not contain independent or Saudi confirmation specific to Layla, so this marker remains reported rather than documented and is positioned only at an approximate Red Sea reference point.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Yemeni forces struck the Saudi oil tanker Wafa with several ballistic missiles in the northern Red Sea off Yanbu, without specifying when the strike occurred. Saree called Wafa the eighth tanker targeted since the Houthis announced their 22 July maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, and said 29 Saudi-linked ships had been turned back or blocked from transiting the Red Sea under the campaign. Saudi authorities had not confirmed the claim or any damage at the time reported, so this marker remains reported rather than documented and is positioned at an approximate Red Sea reference point off Yanbu.